READ THE CITIZENS' VOICE

Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Citizens' Voice on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at citizensvoice.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Article Tools

Frank Lauri / For The Citizens' Voice
Berwick's Andrew Force catches a pass for a touchdown during Saturday's win over Abington Heights for the District 2 Class AAA title.

BERWICK - It took Kyle Trenholm 91 yards and 13 seconds to put some life back into Berwick in Saturday afternoon's District 2 Class AAA championship game.

And 17 second-half carries from fullback Jorden Stout helped the Bulldogs secure a spot in the state playoffs.

Trenholm returned the second-half kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown and Stout rushed for 116 yards and a score in the second half as Berwick defeated Abington Heights 35-28 at Crispin Field.

The win improved Berwick to 12-0 on the year and sent the Bulldogs back to the state playoffs for the first time since 2008 after wrapping up the program's 10th district championship. Berwick will play the District 11 champion next weekend at a site and time to be announced.

"We wanted it more, the line showed up and the holes were wide open and we just kept it going," said Stout, who rushed for a season-high 127 yards. "We got our pep talk at halftime that we have to step it up."

That pep talk came from coach George Curry, who told his team that they needed a big play to get the crowd - and, more importantly, the players - into the game.

Trenholm wasted little time. He picked up the opening kick off a bounce and burst up the right sideline on his way to the end zone. The kick return tied the game 14-14 and gave the Bulldogs the momentum they needed.

from page B1

"I saw that it might go out of bounds but I wanted to try and make a big play," Trenholm said. "The blockers made a huge hole for me. I just hit it. We had to come out and make a play."

Even though the score was tied, Trenholm's play set the tone for the second half. Abington Heights ran six offensive plays on its ensuing possession and was forced to punt. Berwick answered with a 10-play, 67-yard drive capped by a Stout 8-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.

"He's a big back, they couldn't stop it," Curry said. "There were bubbles in that front. We had the right formation and we pounded that gap. We played wedge football. The first half we were going (sideways) too much. Enough of that. You want to play smash-mouth football, you can't be cute."

After Abington Heights was forced to punt again, Berwick made it a two-score game when Nate Maczuga scored on a 21-yard run with 11:54 left in the game.

With the Bulldogs controlling the time of possession, Abington Heights had no other choice but to throw the ball to get back in the game. J.C. Show completed a 63-yard touchdown pass play to Joe Carroll to cut the deficit in half.

Once again, though, Berwick had an answer.

The Bulldogs went 62 yards in eight plays and C.J. Curry completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Force to once again make it a two-score game. Abington Heights connected on another touchdown pass with 4:56 left, but never saw the ball again as Berwick was able to run out the remaining time on the clock.

"They were able to move the ball effectively on the ground and took time off the clock," Abington Heights coach Joe Repshis said. "They were running down hill and kept the ball out of our offense's hands."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.